Container for foodstuff or other material

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a container comprising a container portion and a lid portion which projects beyond the peripheral side walls of the container portion and is fastened thereto, one side wall of two opposed side walls of the container portion being higher than the other.

United States Patent [191 Lohwasser CONTAINER FOR FOODSTUFF OR OTHER MATERIAL [76] inventor: Kurt Lohwasser, Milchstmssc 22.

2000 Hamburg, 13, Germany [22] Filed: Apr. 17, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 351,887

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 21, 1972 Germany 2219741 [52] US. Cl. 206/504; 220/23.4 [51] Int. Cl. B65D 85/62; B65D 21/02 [58] Field of Search 206/440, 504, 525, 45.34,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,867,369 1/1959 Cernera 206/268 2,870,461 1/1959 Ro'senthal 229/14 C 2,988,208 206/525 6/1961 Loew [451 Sept. 30, 1975 3,078,989 2/1963 Curran et ul 206/440 3,080,096 3/ 1963 3,734,309 5/1973 Bateman 220/23.4

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 480,228 12/1969 Switzerland Primarv E.\'aminer--Wi11iam T. Dixon, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Donald D. Jeffery 1 1 ABSTRACT The invention relates to a container comprising a container portion and a lid portion which projects beyond the peripheral side walls of the container portion and is fastened thereto, one side wall of two opposed side walls of the container portion being higher than the other.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 101 2 3,908,828

US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet20f2 3,908,828

M FIG. 4

CONTAINER roR FOODSTUFF OR OTHER MATERIAL Y I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a container for food or other material and particularly, but not exclusively, for nutritious and luxury foods such as curd cheese, the container having a lid which projects beyond the peripheral side walls and which can be attached by being clipped on or secured by an adhesive or by welding.

An object of the invention is to provide a container of this type which will make it possible for a plurality of such containers to be closely packed with maximum immobilisation during transportation and storage.

According to the present invention there is provided a container comprising acontainer portion and a lid which projects beyond the peripheral side walls of the container portion and can be fastened thereto, one side wall of two opposed side walls being higher than the other.

This construction means that juxtaposed containers when packed in rows have the lid of one container partly received below the lid of the other container. With this interengagement between the lids and the consequent friction there is far less opportunity for rel ative movement between juxtaposed containers than there was with containers which merely adjoined one another at the edges of their lids. In addition, there is less gap between juxtaposed containers and thus less wasted space, so that valuable space is gained not only in the manufacturers store but also during transportation at all stages of distribution and in the intermediate stores as well as on the retailers shelves.

In one embodiment of the proposed container the said opposed side walls are arcuate in plan view. With this preferred embodiment, a plurality of such containers can be arranged one behind the other so that the complementary profiles of their walls fit into one another. This brings the added advantage that, when such containers are assembled in boxes for their transportation, the containers are in rigid formations which cannot move relative to one another, so that compact units are obtained which can be conveyed more easily and without any damage. A further advantage is that, when such packs are aligned and stacked on the retailers refrigerated shelves, the preferred shape of individual packs again allows for more convenient arrangement and stacking. This is useful if such packs are to be sorted without difficulty. It is known that shoppers are liable to take several packs from the shelf and to put some of them back again, so a pack of this design will make the shelf tidier, because the shape of the pack will suggest a predetermined procedure to the shopper as she sorts the packs. Furthermore, the concave arcuate or polygonal broad side of the peripheral side wall of such a pack provides particularly good opportunities 'for printed matter so that a better display effect is obtained when such packs are put on view.

I The container according to the invention is not limited to any specific manufacturing process. It may be made of'plastics or other suitable materials. In order that the containers can be transported rationally when empty they must be stackable, and it is therefore desirable that their peripheral side walls should taper slightly in known manner. Although the container according to the invention is intended'for ieceiving nutri tious and luxury foods, particularly milk products, as well as groceriesjof other types such as prepared salads and fats, it may also be used for other products, particularly for spreadable materials such as cosmetic skin creams, floor polishing wax and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention then comprises the features hereafter fully described and particularly pointed out in'the claims, the following description and annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative however, of but ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an individual container according to the invention,

FIG. 2 illustrates in plan view an alignment of several containers of the type shown in FIG. 1, the container shown at the bottom in the figure still being a short distance away from the row of containers,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 2 as viewed from the right hand side of the figure,

FIG. 4 shows in plan view a row of containers constituting a different embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 5 shows in perspective view a row of containers constituting a further embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The container shown in FIG. 1 has two opposed broad sides 1 and 2 forming part of the peripheral side wall. The sides 1 and 2 are arcuate in plan view and adjoin juxtaposed containers during packing for transpor' tation and storage, so that a plurality of such containers can be aligned as shown in plan view in FIG. 2. Since (as can be seen particularly from FIG. 3) the broad side 2 is slightly higher than the broad side 1 of the peripheral side wall of the container, the lid 3 of one container will slide below the lid of the adjacent container.

In the FIG. 4 embodiment the opposed walls 1 and 2 are of a complementary polygonal shape, so thatjuxtaposed containers can again engage in one another.

In the FIG. 5 embodiment the opposed walls of adjacent containers have no such complementary profiles and use is made only of the inventive feature that the side walls differ slightly in height; the lids of these containers can be seen to overlap one another in accordance with the invention.

In all of the embodiments described the upper ends of the side walls are outwardly flanged and the lid 3 is secured to the flanges by any suitable means, such as by an adhesive or welding.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims. or the equivalent of such. be employed.

1 therefore particularly point out and claim as my invention:

l. A container comprising a container portion having an opening closed by a lid portion. said container portion comprising a flat base portion having upstanding peripheral side walls having outwardly directed peripheral flanges at the upper edges thereof. said lid portion being secured to said peripheral flanges and extending to the edges of the flanges, one of said side walls of two opposed side walls being of greater height than the other so that the plane of the lid and peripheral flanges is inclined to the plane of the base, said two opposed side walls being longer than the side walls interconnecting said two opposed side walls, one of said two opposed side walls being concave in plan view and the other of said two side walls being convex in plan view with respect to the interior of the container, whereby a series of such containers can be laterally adjacently disposed with said flanges overlapping and with said convex side wall of one container tightly fitting against the concave side wall of an adjacent container.

l i l l' 

1. A container comprising a container portion having an opening closed by a lid portion, said container portion coMprising a flat base portion having upstanding peripheral side walls having outwardly directed peripheral flanges at the upper edges thereof, said lid portion being secured to said peripheral flanges and extending to the edges of the flanges, one of said side walls of two opposed side walls being of greater height than the other so that the plane of the lid and peripheral flanges is inclined to the plane of the base, said two opposed side walls being longer than the side walls interconnecting said two opposed side walls, one of said two opposed side walls being concave in plan view and the other of said two side walls being convex in plan view with respect to the interior of the container, whereby a series of such containers can be laterally adjacently disposed with said flanges overlapping and with said convex side wall of one container tightly fitting against the concave side wall of an adjacent container. 